The Captured Prince
by RedRosePetal
Summary: When the Roman Empire invades Egypt and demands an alliance between the two nations the Pharaoh refuses. In retaliation the Romans capture the beloved Prince. Leaving the Egyptians in turmoil, they have got nothing that can stand up to them? How in the world will the Egyptians get their Prince back?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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 **Chapter 1**

Voices barked at each other, each trying to make their voice heard. Occasionally, a fist would pound the table as the owner tried to emphasis their point. The Pharaoh sat back in his chair, listening but not really listening. He too was lost in thought. The dilemma he was facing was a big one. The Roman Empire was near, they had conquered the lands to the west of them but were now making contact with Egypt. The Romans wanted Egypt to submit to the power of Rome and ally with them. But it would be that the Romans could waltz into their lands with nothing to stop them, they would control part of their military and send them to do their bidding, again with nothing to stop them. At the moment the Romans were offering the alliance but it was clear that hostile intentions had been indicated as the Romans had stationed their legions at the border.

"Pharaoh, what do we do?" A man asked, leaning forward to look at his King.

Aknamkanon looked at the man, the concern and almost fear was clear on the man's face. He did not answer for a moment, he was considering what to say as if he was totally honest he was not sure what to do.

A fist slammed on the table, "We must attack these invaders Pharaoh." Aknadin spat, glaring at his older brother, "We must stamp them out and teach them not to meddle with our land."

"That would not be wise brother." Aknamkanon responded, "Their military is far superior to ours and hostile actions would not be wise for our people."

Aknadin was clearly losing his cool as he rose slightly from his seat, "To do nothing would be unwise!"

"I did not say that we are to do nothing." Aknamkanon cut in, the glare he gave his brother was enough to make everyone around him wince ever so slightly however Aknadin was not fazed, "It would best to resolve this peacefully."

Akandin rolled his eyes and sank slightly in his chair, almost like a child.

"We shall treat the Romans peacefully, no hostile action will be taken against them." Aknamkanon continued, addressing the room at large, "We shall offer to open trade with them and make it clear that we have no intentions to strike against them but we do not wish to be part of their empire."

There was mummers of agreement round the table, showing these Romans that there were peaceful people would work, they hoped. Aknamkanon stood and left the room. Aknadin rose and followed him while the rest filed out room in the other direction. Aknadin strolled after his brother's retreating back.

"Brother!" He called, Aknamkanon stopped and looked round.

Akandin stopped in front of Aknamkanon, glaring at him; "Brother. Don't you see! By doing nothing you have endangered your people. You really think that these people are used to people saying no to them. Send out the armies, now."

"I have made my decision Aknadin. You may not agree but that is what will be done."

Without waiting for a response Aknamkanon walked away leaving his furious brother glaring after them. He walked down the many corridors of the palace thinking. He was still unsure whether he had made the right decision about the Romans. Perhaps it would be better to send out an army to them. But the Romans' military strength was something to be feared as well as admired. The Romans carried the reputation of being formidable fighters, their strength was not to be underestimated which meant that if they did send their armies out it was unlikely that they would return. Aknamkanon sighed, walking round another corner. It would be better to try and be peaceful with the Romans, that would not endanger anyone. He turned another corner and descended the small flight of stairs. The room that appeared to him was one of his favourites. This room sat by the river and the river flowed into the room. There was a square cut out where the river entered the room, three sides of that square stopped the river from flooding the room by the raised stone. There were stairs one side allow someone to enter the river to swim if they wished. It was a peaceful room, with only the sounds of the river to disturb the peace. There were no walls round the room either only various pillars which held the roof up and shielded the room from the sun's rays. As this was the easiest part of the palace to infiltrate there were always guards posted there. But the additional two guards that were hanging round by the sides of the room suggested to the Pharaoh that his son was there. Sure enough, Aknamkanon had only taken a few steps into the room when he saw him. The fifteen year old Prince was sat on the side of the pool leaning against a pillar with one leg dangling in the water. He was reading the scrolls of paper he had in front of him. Atem looked up upon hearing his father's approach, smiling at him.

"Good afternoon Father." Atem said, lowering the scrolls he was holding.

"How are you today son?" Aknamkanon asked, taking a seat beside his son.

"Very well father, thank you."

There was a pause as the Pharaoh looked out over the River Nile and the Prince folded up the scrolls he was holding. Aknamkanon glanced at his son for a moment while the latter wasn't paying attention. His son did not know about the threat of the Romans, as the Pharaoh had not wanted to alarm him but perhaps it would be useful to see how his son would deal with a situation like this, but without actually telling him that the scenario was real.

"I have a scenario for you, son."

Atem looked at his father, waiting for him to continue.

"Say, when you are Pharaoh there is a... foreign empire which wants to take our lands for their own personal gain. What would you do?"

Atem thought for a moment, there was a lot to consider. He looked out of the river as he considered his answers. Both sides would have their reasons for wanting the land. His people will have lived on this land their whole lives and therefore had a right to live how they wished. But at the same time this empire would have chosen the land for a good reason.

"Perhaps," Atem started, turning back to his father, "There would be a way to peacefully come to an arrange. Maybe this empire has its eyes on our land because of the resources it possesses. So, I think it would be wise to strike an agreement with this empire that lets our people keep the land but not to offend this empire by refusing. Maybe something like a trade agreement."

Aknamkanon made a sound of approval before looking away. His son had had the same idea that he had. But then, Atem was a very peaceful person so he would always look to resolve things peacefully. Looking back he saw his son gazed at him with an expression on his face. His son had a spectacular talent hiding what he was thinking through this expression. Even Aknamkanon, his father, could not tell what he was thinking at the time. It could be anything, one would have to be in Atem's mind to know what he was thinking. Sighing, Aknamkanon accepted the decision he had made. It was a good one and it would be for the best.

* * *

The man approached the gates of the palace. The man was dressed in a long, white tunic with red trimmings. His hair was greying and he had a massive bald spot on the top of his head. He approached the iron gates of the palace. The two guards saw his approach and faced him;

"Halt in the name of the Pharaoh!" One called.

The man held his hand up, "I am Marcus Matius Bodenius. I am a Diplomat of the Roman Empire; I have come to speak with his majesty, the Pharaoh."

The two guards looked at one enough before motioning for Marcus to follow. The iron gates swung open and Marcus followed the guards up the long path to the palace. He could not lie, the palace was impressive. It would make a fine addition to the empire. They walked into the palace and along another long corridor. The corridor led into a large room, with a raised platform where the Pharaoh sat on his throne. But before he could enter, he was asked to wait.

"My King," A Guard announced, "Marcus Matius Bodenius of the Roman Empire to see you."

With the signal from the guard, Marcus walked into the room. When he approached the King of Egypt, he knelt down. His left knee pointing forward.

"Your majesty," Marcus said, standing up, "I have come to make an offer to you. We would like to ally ourselves with you. We would like access to your lands and access to your military. You shall become part of the mighty Roman Empire."

The Pharaoh seemed to consider him, it seemed as though he had already decided on his answer.

"Your empire is mighty." The Pharaoh said, "We applaud your hard work in creating it. I wish to make a counter offer, we will open up trade with your empire but as much as we are honoured by your offer but I am afraid to say that we cannot accept."

Marcus eyed the Pharaoh, he had be warned about this but he had been told what to do in this situation.

"With respect Pharaoh, I believe you have made an unwise decision." Marcus said.

"How dare you speak to the Pharaoh like that!" An advisor spat, he was about to continue but the Pharaoh held up his hand.

"I am sorry, that our decision has not pleased you." The Pharaoh said, "But it is our final word."

The Pharaoh motioned to the guards to escort the man out.

"I must warn you Pharaoh," Marcus said, as he was ushered out, "You decision will have consequences."

Aknamkanon stared after the man, he had thought that the Romans would not be happy with the decision but it was made it was done. It was done and he would not change it now.

* * *

The night had drawn in; the air was cool and crisp. Atem leant against the balcony, gazing out over the land. He liked to take time to consider the days events before turning in for the night. Something caught his eye. There was a bright spot, coming closer. As he watched serval other bright spots appeared. It was like a large group of travellers were making their way towards the city walls. Atem stood up, there were loads of the bright lights appearing coming closer towards the city. As they came closer, he thought he could see people. They were coming closer and closer, and some seemed to be pushing some large objects. Atem looked around; he could just see the captain of the guards around one of the corners.

"Nekht?" He called.

The Captain came out on to the balcony; "Yes, my Prince?"

"Look." Atem said, pointing at the large collection of bright spots, "What is that?"

Nekht looked for himself, a small bit of fear ran through his veins.

"By the Gods, here they come."

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So... how was it?

I hope it is good. I mean I personally am quite excited for this and I am enjoying writing the chapters so I hope you like it too!

Please Review! Reviews mean that world to me!

See you very soon!

~RedRosePetal


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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 **Chapter 2**

The ground shock as yet another large stone slammed into it. The people of the city ran in terror, screaming for their loved ones. As they ran they were persuaded by Romans Soldiers, who tore after them chasing them away from their homes. The Romans were bombarding the city, targeting homes; they also targeted the Palace as they drew closer. They took everything in sight, scared the people off and took their treasures. But the soldiers did not harm them, apart for the few fist fights when some fought back. Up in the Palace, the Pharaoh paced up and down. He and his Guardians were in the Throne Room, which was the most easily protected room. He could hear the bangs as the rocks hit the walls or ground, the screams of his people and the laughter of the Romans. As he paced a guard came hurrying into the room.

"My King, the Romans have entered the city! They are terrorising the people, coming closer and closer to the Palace."

Aknamkanon looked at the Guard. The Romans had got into the city; they were coming to the Palace. What were they trying to do?

"Go. Get in to the town, protect the people!" Aknamkanon ordered and the guard ran off, he called to the retreating back, "And, if you see my son make sure he is safe."

With all eyes on him, he began to pace again. He had to protect the people; all of the guards were out trying to protect the Palace and the people. It was not clear whether the Romans were going to try and take over the town or simply loot it. But they were doing everything they could to get Romans out. His main concern was for his people and son. He had not seen or heard from Atem since the bombardment started and he prayed he was alright.

* * *

The man sat astride his horse, surveying the scene in front of him. This man wore a red tunic which was covered by an iron muscle cuirass. He had long cape draped over his shoulders. Atop his head was a helmet which had a large crest made from feathers. Around him were other men astride their horses, but they were not as grandly dressed as he was. They were back from the battle; the ongagers were in front of them. Men rushed about them, hauling large rocks into them and waiting for their commander's call to release them. Behind the onagagers were Legions who were, for the moment, being held in reserve whilst some of the Legionnaires were already in the city. They had learnt from the scout that the city's military and garrison would not stand up to their power, which was why some of the Legions were being held in reserve. The man was glazing at the distant city so intently that his attention was only diverted when an older man dressed in a long white tunic approached his horse and addressed him directly.

"I must complement you General; this battle seems to be going well." Marcus Matius Bodenius said, craning his neck to see the General, "I warned them what would happen should they refuse. What is our plan? Are you going to take over the city?"

The General looked down at the Diplomat, "Plan of battle is to be shared with no-one but myself and my commanders Marcus. But, what I can say is that the Emperor does not wish us to take over the city. He wants us to make the Egyptians submit to our rule. This..." He indicated the battle in front of him, "is a scare tactic."

"And I believe you shall be successful!" Marcus proclaimed.

The General smiled, "I thank you. For your own safety, I believe that you should return to the encampment."

Marcus made to speak but recognised the dismissal. The General turned his attention back to the battle; he called over his commanders of the ongagers telling him to change targets to the Palace. They needed to bring to scare tactic to the mighty Pharaoh himself. The General, whose name was Potitus Olcinus Cinna, was no novice when it came to sieging cities or any type of battle. He'd been a General for nearly three years now so he knew what he was doing. He continued to watch the ongager unload their ammunition but a scout caught his attention as he raced over on his horse.

"General! The walls of the Palace are breached!"

Potitus smirked, this was what he wanted.

"Send the message to the Commander Sentius that I want a group of legionaries waiting by the breach and I will join them directly."

The scout nodded, saluted the General before racing off on his horse, back in the direction of the battle. The General called to the onagers to stop firing and turned to the men on horses around him, he rallied them with a war cry before galloping towards the city.

* * *

He was running faster than perhaps he had ever run in his life. Every now and again the whole palace shook as the flying stones came crashing into the walls. As the walls shook he would sometimes stumble or other times he would fall to the ground. But never the less, he kept on running. Atem had been watching the approaching army from the balcony for a while, a little too long. He had watched the bombardment begin and seen the people running from these soldiers; he couldn't stand it his heart broke from all of those people suffering. But he knew that there was little he could do. Why were these people here? What was going on? It was only when a large rock collided the wall beside him that he had started to run. He needed to find his father and discover what in the world was going on. He knew that his father would be in the Throne Room so that was where he was heading. He could see the room coming closer, he was almost there. Then there was an ear splitting bang; Atem was thrown high into the air. He seemed to soar through the air, before crashing back to the floor although with pieces of rubble. All the air was forced out of lungs, for a moment he just lay on his floor trying to get air back into his lungs. Hands grabbed him, pulling him to his feet. Aknamkanon pulled his son in hug.

"Are you alright my son?" He asked, inspecting his son's appearance.

"Yes," Atem said, still attempting to bring air back into his lungs, "Father, what is going on? I saw these people firing on the palace. Why are they here?"

Aknamkanon didn't answer for a moment; he was going to have to tell his son what was going on. So he explained, he told his son everything about the Romans and their intentions towards their people.

"So what you ask me earlier, it wasn't a scenario it was real?"

"Yes it was real; I did not know that they were planning to do this. Now, my son you must hide yourself. I will come and get you when it's safe."

Atem shook his head, "No Father! I am staying with you, this room can be protected. I am staying."

"No." Aknamkanon took a stern tone, "Hide you in the place that only you and I know about. I will come and get you when it's safe. I promise."

Atem looked into his father's eyes; he could see that he was not being asked to go he was being _told_ to go. Sighing, he nodded. Aknamkanon smiled and drew his son in for another hug before ushering him to the door. His son gave him a look; it was a last attempt to persuade him to let him stay.

"Trust me." Aknamkanon whispered.

Atem gazed at his father for a moment before he turned and sprinted off back down the way he can come. He sped round the corner but something made him come to a stop. A group of men were a few metres away. They were dressed in fine armour, swords by their sides and some carried shields. One was wearing a helmet with a crest of feathers. The Romans stopped and stared at Atem, Atem stared back.

"Is that the Pharaoh?" A Roman solider asked, pointing at Atem.

"No, he's too young." Another said.

The General stared at the boy, who still hadn't moved, he knew who this was. A thought came to him; this boy might be useful in breaking the Egyptians and forcing them to submit. The soldiers around him were still arguing about the boy but when their General raised his hand they stopped talking immediately.

"This boy… is the Prince of Egypt." The General said, never taking his eyes off the Prince, "Lucius."

The General motioned with his hand for the solider named Lucius come to his side, he then held out his hand – his eyes had still not left the Prince.

"Give me your sword and shield."

Lucius did so, looking between his General and the Egyptian Prince. The Prince was backing away slightly.

"Get him."

Not wasting another second Lucius took off like a bullet towards the Prince, who sprinted in the other direction. The General smirked, moving after the two with the rest of his men following closer behind.

* * *

The Captain of the Guard came sprinting into the throne room, his face was slightly bloody but he was unharmed.

"My King, the walls of the palace has been breached! We have seen Romans entering through the breach, they are inside the palace!"

"Which side of the palace?" The Pharaoh asked, fear in his veins, his face paling.

"The East side."

Aknamkanon stumbled, his blood running cold. Atem was in the East side, he'd told him to go there. He had made a terrible mistake.

"You must retrieve the Prince; he went to the East side! Go get him!"

Nekht had barely made it to the door leading to the East side of the Palace when it burst open. The Romans entered; at the front was their General. Just the sight of him struck fear into their veins though they did not show it. Even though there were not many Romans they outnumbered them easily. The General stepped forwards; his gaze looked on the Pharaoh.

"Pharaoh, we meet at last."

Aknamkanon said nothing, but just stared back. He tried to not let any fear appear on his face, he was terrified that as the Romans had come from the East Side, where Atem had been going, that his son now lay dead on the floor.

"I have something to show you, Pharaoh." Potitus said, still staring at him as he raised his hand and beckoned to something behind him.

A solider came into view, he had someone headlock. Aknamkanon's blood ran cold. The solider had his son in a headlock. Atem looked unharmed; his hands were tied behind his back. His eyes found his father.

"We warned of the consequences of refusing. You shall be punished for your stubbornness. I will be taking your son from you today."

"No!" Aknamkanon called, stepping forwards, "Please! Spare my son, he's innocent. Take me instead!"

"I'm afraid I must refuse your offer Pharaoh." Potitus taunted, in mock politeness.

Aknamkanon looked towards his son who was looking straight back at him, tears swelled in the Pharaoh's eyes. Potitus indicated to the Lucius to take the Prince away. The Prince struggled as he was pulled away but the older, stronger man easily over-powered him.

"I take my leave of you Pharaoh. May you never forget the cost of this mistake." The General's voice was cold and harsh. "May the weight of this mistake bear down on your, for the rest of your existence."

There was nothing he could do; the Romans retreated back into corridor. Tears fell from his eyes; the people around him were asking him what they do. The guards were asking whether they chase the Romans. But there was only one voice he listened to. It was a shout, a distant shout of;

"Father!"

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Thank you for reviewing: **D, Guest, Atem no koibito**

Oh my days! Am I evil? Haha.

Please **review** guys, getting the review emails really inspired me to keep writing!

I will see you soon!

~RedRosePetal


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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 **Chapter 3**

He was forced out of the broken side of the palace; the rubble was piled so unevenly that Atem fell. He tumbled to the ground; his hands were still tied behind this back so he was unable to save himself and the Romans around him just laughed rather than helping him. Atem struggled to kneel upright, this proved difficult as pushing oneself upright usually involved the use of hands but somehow he managed it. There was Romans all around him, far too many to count. He stared around, the side of the Palace which was in ruins. He could also see some of the people, hiding behinds doors or rubble. All were watching the Romans, fear clear in their faces. When they saw their Prince, on his knees and hands bounds, they look even more scared. The Roman General jumped down and looked at the bound Prince. He smirked; walked over to the Prince he dragged him to his feet before handing him to a nearby commander.

"Rebind him." Potitus turned to face the rest of the Legions, "We are done here, we match to the boats. Rome is calling us home."

There was a cheer for the Legions, who were forming a marching line. Atem's hands were retied in front of him; the rope was now tied to the side of the saddle on the General's horse. He tried to look back at the palace, but the pull on the rope tied to his hands pulled him forward. The Legions marched behind them; their feet beat up a marching rhythm as they marched out of the city. Atem stumbled along behind the General's horse. He felt the ropes cutting into his wrists, but he did not let any noise escape his lips. Around them the people of the city stared as the Romans left but they wept when they saw their Prince being dragged along with them. As the last soldiers left the city, a middle aged man emerged from his hiding spot and stood by the broken gates watching the soliders.

"They are gone but with the Prince! By the Gods, I pray that he is returned safely."

* * *

"You must gather every man you can!" Aknamkanon said, pacing, "I want you to catch up with these Romans and return my son to me."

The Palace was in chaos, with men rushing around. The guards were trying to make some sort of organisation of the men but they were not doing well. Aknamkanon paced up and down becoming more and more frustrated at the lack of movement.

"You must not worry my King." A man next to him said.

The man was the advisor to the Pharaoh, named Shimon. He stood close by watching his King; he too was worried about the Prince. He had seen him grow up and it worried him immensely that the boy had been taken by the Romans.

"Don't worry." Aknamkanon snapped, "My son is kidnapped! I can do nothing but worry."

Shimon said nothing, just continued to watch as the King paced. There were sounds of hurrying footsteps, looking round he saw the guards hurrying away. The Pharaoh had seen it too; he hurried out to the nearest balcony. He could just about see the retreating Romans on the horizon and he could see his men on horseback giving chase. But their numbers were far fewer than that of the Romans. He watched the many horses race after the Romans, he could not bear it. He must accompany them; he must ensure that his son was rescued. His mind made up, Aknamkanon hurried off towards the stables. Alarmed by his King's sudden movement, Shimon rushed after him although with his shorter legs it took a while to catch up. When he did catch up he saw the Pharaoh demanding his horse be saddled.

"My King, may I ask what are you doing?" He asked, panting slightly.

"I must join the men; I must ensure that my son is safe."

"My King, you have to stay safe." Shimon pleaded, "The men will bring him home safe."

Aknamkanon was climbing on to his horse, there was another two men mounting up to protect their King.

"I thank you for your concern Shimon, but I must go to my son."

Without another word Aknamkanon galloped away, his two guards raced after him. Shimon watched his King go, he could not help but wonder whether they were to lose both the King and Prince in one day. How had it all come to this?

* * *

"General! The Egyptian's are launching an attack. Their men come by horse back."

Potitus turned to face the scout knelt before him. Although he would never admit it verbally, he was surprised by this. He had not expected them to do anything. Looking back over his shoulder, the bound Prince behind him had a hopeful look in his eye.

"How many men?" Potitus replied.

"None to match our numbers, they are outnumbered."

Potitus knew what to do without a moment's thought. "One of the legions is to assume the formation to repel cavalry, hold one legion in reserve if, by some dumb luck, they break through."

The scout nodded and hurried away to relay orders. Potitus turned to look at the Prince who, in defiance, stared straight back at him.

"I suppose you heard all that Little Rat."

The Prince's expression became smug, "I did. My people come for me and they will not let you take me."

Potitus towered over the Prince, "Your people are outnumbered, and we are far superior to yours."

Grabbing the Prince by his bound hands, the General dragged him behind him. The General dragged the Prince to a position where they could see what was about to unfold. Regaining his footing Atem looked out over what would become a battlefield. He saw the Romans soldiers forming up into a formation that he had never seen before. In the distance he could see what appeared to be a sandstorm but he knew it was approach of his people, the horses where moving so quickly that the sand was being thrown into air. The Roman General still had hold on to his bindings so he couldn't really go anywhere without attracting his attention but perhaps there would be a way to wriggle out of his grasp. Atem saw the horses approach and the devastation that unfolded. The Egyptians charged into the Romans, but the formation the Romans had adopted was far too superior for them to handle. Atem heard the cries of the horses and men. The General was distracted now, he was issuing orders to his men. It was now or never. Atem twisted his hands and pulled them away, the General who was engaged in conversation had loosed his grip so when the Prince pulled away he could not grab him. Atem raced away from him, running as far as he could. If he could sprint round the ranks of the Romans then he could be able to reach the people who had come to save him. But it was not to be. Someone grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and forced him to the ground. He caught a glimpse of the Roman Centurion who had caught him. He writhed, trying to throw the man off but it was in vain. Not a moment later the General had approached them and ordered that the Prince be on his knees. Atem looked up at the man whose expression was one of amusement and anger.

"You thought you could get away Little Rat." He said, "Really? With nearly five thousand men at my command, you thought you would slip by them."

The Prince said nothing, just glared back at him. Potitus drew back a fist and delivered a hard punch to the Prince's face. The Prince felt the blood pouring from both lip and nose.

"Get him into the cell in the boat, this battle is over. We set sail now." Potitus ordered, strolling away.

The Centurion forced Atem to his feet and marched him towards the large boats which were waiting for them. It took two of the Romans to get the bound Prince on to the boat, seeing as the captive resisted. But they managed it. Atem to lead – or rather dragged – to a cell below the deck of the ship. There he was thrown into a cell; this cell had no windows or anything. In fact the only light source was coming from outside the door which was being slammed shut. Atem launched himself at the door in a desperate attempt to escape but he was too late. The door had closed and he was plunged into complete darkness.

* * *

Aknamkanon sat astride his horse, looking in horror at the scene in front of him. Barely any of the men send out had returned, and those how did had various injured. Littered on the battle field were the remains of the horses and men who had fallen. Nekht approached the King; his pervious wounds had been worsened by this encounter. He knelt, his left knee pointing forwards.

"My Pharaoh, we failed. They were too powerful for us."

Aknamkanon slid off his horse; he had spotted something in the distance. Those around him stepped back, they were unsure whether their King was angry or not. But Aknamkanon said nothing to them; he had spotted boats in the distance. He fell to his knees in the sand. Tears streamed down his face as he watched the Roman boats sail away, with his son held captive.

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Thanks for Reviewing: **Guest, Atem no koibito**

Are you even more infruated? Haha!

Sorry about the delay, I have had issues in my personal life.

I will try to get the next chapter out soon, I am writing it at the moment.

 **Please Review!**

See you soon!

~RedRosePetal


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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 **Chapter 4**

He had no idea how long he had been in this prison. It might have been days or perhaps years, he couldn't tell. His prison was small and completely black, there was no light, none what so ever. All he could see was black, it was driving him mad. If it had been the plan of the Romans to weaken him by this imprisonment then it had succeeded, sort of. This imprisonment in the dark had driven him almost mad. He was so desperate to get out of this hell hole that he would mostly likely do what was asked of him. But still he would not do anything which would mean that his people came to any harm. He was their Prince; even if he was a captive he would do his duty to his people and protect them. The rocking of the ship occasionally threw him against the walls of his prison. These meetings with the walls where quite frequent and not fun. The next rock of the ship, threw him rather hard against the wall. Atem put his hands to the wall, although his hands were still bound, trying to steady himself. When was this going to end? When would they get to wherever they were going? He thought of his father who, he was sure, would be going mad over this. He couldn't help wonder why, he might be a Prince but he was nothing special. The most important thing was that the Romans had no taken their land. His people were safe, as for his safety he could not be sure whether the word safe could be used to describe his position for a while. The ship lurched and Atem was thrown again into the wall, he let of a frustrated huff. He did not care for this wall and being thrown against it numerous times was not helping his relationship with it. He would very much like to punch a large hole in the wall and escape but alas the wood was too strong. Various sounds around him brought him out of his thinking. His cell may be deprived of light but he could still hear what was going on around it which had help, slightly, to ground him to reality. The voices of the men sounded excited, some even cheered. Did this mean that they were close to land? Or was this just another night where they seemed to have drunk too much? Pressing himself against the door of his cell, or what he thought was the door as the darkness made it impossible to actually find it. He tried to listen to what was being said but there were so many voices that he could not distinguish what was actually being said. The sounds of footsteps were preventing him listening to what was being said. The footsteps became louder and louder before the door was suddenly wrenched open and Atem toppled into a rather undignified heap on the ground. There was laugher around him, light poured into his eyes for the first time in he did not know how long. He squinted around; the light seemed to pierce him after so long in the dark. The soldiers seemed to be gathering things together. Now he was out of the cell he could hear what was being said. The Romans called happily to each other, some exclaimed about the excitement of seeing their wives. Hands lifted him to his feet and Atem was dragged off to the deck of ship. The cool breeze, much cooler than in Egypt, hit him and the smell of sea air overwhelmed him for a moment. Allowing himself to be led to wherever it was they were going, he took the opportunity to look over the side of the ship. Land was coming into view, the land was very green, something he was not accustom to seeing in the dessert apart from patches here and there. But this green land seemed to stretch for miles. He stared for as long as he could before he was dumped to the ground, in front of someone. Looking up he saw the Roman General smirking down at him.

"So, you survived the journey Little Rat." He spat, kicking the bound Prince, "We will dock at Ostia* in a while before journeying to Rome where you will be paraded for all to see and all to laugh at. Imagine the faces of the Roman People as they welcome a Rat like you. Welcome to Hell Little Rat."

Atem made no response, there was nothing to say. Instead he just gazed around, watching what was happening.

Within a few minutes, there were men running around as they took their positions for the ship to dock. Ropes were thrown off the sides of the ship as the ship docked. Being on his knees, Atem could not see where they had docked. He was just forced to sit where he'd been dumped and wait for something to happen. The man around him marched off the boat where they await their General for further orders. Potitus had gone back to his cabin but he returned, fully dressed in his armour his helmet atop his head where it seemed to glitter in the sun light. He smirked down at Atem before dragging him off the ship. The Prince saw a metal cage on the ground near where they were disembarking and knew was for him. He pulled away, he would not go in a cage, but his strength was nothing compared to the strength of the General meant that he could not get away. He was forced into the cage, it wasn't a large he could only sit up he was unable to stand. Potitus knelt to be on eye level with the Prince.

"You look great in there Little Rat. Now everyone will be able to see you." He grabbed the Prince's bound hands, extracted a small knife and cut the ropes surrounding the Prince's wrists, "Well now that you're locked in here, I believe it is only fair that you have the use of your hands."

With that the General walked away, barking orders at nearby officers. Atem rubbed his wrists, wincing slightly. Both of his wrists had a red rope burn from where the ropes had chaffed his skin, but he tried to ignore the pain. Looking around his saw many people dressed in cloths of different colours all craning to get a look at him. The soldiers around him were forming a long line, wagons were being brought over and supplies were being loaded on them. He was so taken up with staring around that he failed to notice a couple of soldiers approach the cage and roughly lift it into the air. Atem was thrown of balance and fell against the side of the cage. The cage was placed upon the back of a wagon and the two soldiers stared at the captive in the cage as if he were some kind of animal.

"They say that the blood of Egyptians is not like ours." One said, glancing to the other.

"Well, let's find out." The other replied, not taking his eyes off the boy.

The solider picked up his Pilum** poking it through the bars at the Prince. The Prince tried to shove himself backwards but the back of the cage prevented him got getting away. He felt his skin on his upper arm tear as the sharp point on the pilum dragged across his skin but stubbornly refused to make a sound. The soldiers seemed to be fascinated that red blood was pouring down the captive's arm. The pilum was jabbed at the Prince again a second cut appeared below the first.

"It really does bleed like us." One said.

Atem put his hand to the wound, attempting the stem the flow of blood glaring at the two soldiers. What had they expected? That he would have green blood? What was wrong with these people? The solider raised his pilum to make a third cut but the General had returned and had seen what they had done.

"Legionaries!" Both soldiers immediately turned round, standing to attention, "You were not given orders to harm the captive, you were given orders to prepare him for transport."

The Legionaries just stared at their General, not saying a word. Potitus glared at both of them, he was not really bothered that their captive had been hurt but it was more about how these two had not followed orders.

"When we reach Rome you shall be punished, now fall in."

The pair hurried away, Atem watched the pair go before looking at the General who had approached his cage. Potitus stared at the blood running down the Prince's arm, he seemed to be amused.

"Blood looks good on you, if I am honest I wish I had done that but we can't have everything."

Potitius did not wait for an answer, he walked away to mount his horse. With two of his commanders either side of him, he led his troops along the path towards the city of Rome. There were cheers from people around them; they waved as the soldiers marched past. Some called insults at the boy in the cage although they did not know who he was; they knew he was not from here. The army marched on, in perfect rhythm with each other. Leading the long line of Roman Soldiers was Potitius, he wore a smug expression. In the cage, it was not a comfortable ride. Atem was being thrown around as the wagon rocked on the ground. He tried looking around but it was hard to focus on the surroundings. For a long time the only sounds were the marching of thousands of feet and the clattering of hooves. Atem had given up trying to look around and was inspecting the wounds on his arm. His mind wondered, it travelled thousands of miles away turning his father and his home. He wished he could be with him, but he was here trapped. But, it had to be this way. He would not have of allowed his father to be captured. He would have taken his father's place, so he could not and would not dwell on why he was here. He would accept that this was his duty, he would endure this for his people.

A shout brought him out of his thinking. He didn't realise that he'd been picking at the dried blood on his arm so when they stopped he managed to rip some of the blood off and the wound began to bleed again. Ignoring the stinging from the wound, he looked around. His mouth fell open slightly as he started around. Running down the path they had just marched up were giant stone columns which arched so they all connected to each other and stretched in a straight line, lining the path they had just marched up. It was something to behold. Now that the wagon had stopped he could look around probably. He could not quite believe what he was seeing. The path they had marched up was lined with stones, which explained the rocking but he had never seen paved paths. Looking towards the city they were situated at, there were tall walls surrounding the city towered over them, intimidated them. Peering through the bars, Atem could see that the General was talking to someone. That someone was guarding the gates to the city and it seemed that they waiting for the guard to allow them to get in. The man in front of the gates stood back and the wagon lurched slightly as they began to move. There was the sound of distance cheering which grew louder as they entered the city. People lined either side of the paved path, they cheered and waved. Some threw rose petals at them, but when the people saw the Prince they jeered at him. Some threw rocks; the cage offered him some protection as the rocks bounced off the sides of the cage. Atem stared around, ignoring the flying rocks, he was in awe. The buildings stood tall, all of them looking identical to the others. In the distance he could see a circular shaped building, this one had similar arches and columns to the other he'd seen earlier but the circular shape was the main difference. The wagon stopped in front of a raised platform. Looking up, Atem could he a man dressed in fine clothes seated in a golden chair, looking down at him. Potitius had dismounted from his horse and was now standing in front of the Prince's cage. The finely dressed man was descending the stairs, he drew level with Potitius, who saluted him, and stared at the Prince.

"Who is this?" He demanded.

"This is the Prince of Egypt, Emperor." Potitius said.

The Emperor, a man named Cassius Bruttius Maximus, considered the boy locked in the cage. The boy was of slender build. His hair was not normal; Cassius had never seen such strange hair… and eyes. Bringing this boy was not what he had wanted and the Senate would not like the capture of this boy but perhaps there was a way to use this boy. The Emperor indicated to the General to release the boy. Potitius reached into the cage and grabbed the boy, dragging him out of the cage. There were cheers from the crowd at the aggressive actions of their General. The Emperor looked down at the boy, a smirk crossed his face. He raised a hand and struck the Prince across the face.

"Welcome to Rome, Brat." The Emperor spat, "There is no escape from here and you shall see the might of Rome."

Atem looked at the Emperor but before he could even think about responding he was dragged off. He was dragged them into a nearby building and down many corridors, before they entered a small room. He was dumped rather unceroimously on the floor, and one of the soldiers who had been holding him grabbed some chains that were attached to a nearby wall. The Prince who had seen this and guessed what was coming next. He tried to pull away but the two soldiers were too powerful. With the now prisoner chained the soldiers left, but not before one of them decided to give the prisoner a hard punch to the head as punishment for resisting. The prisoner crumpled on the ground, unconscious, blood running from his nose as the door was slammed shut.

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*Ostia was the closest Port to Rome itself, being around 15 miles from Rome. It was situated at the mouth of the River Tiber.

**Pilum is a javelin that Romans used before they engaged in melee.

Thanks for Reviewing: **DarkManedFox (x3), Atem no koibito**

Sorry for the delay, I'm working during the week and at the weekend I become this thing that only wants to lie in bed... and well I could have uploaded this earlier today but I got distracted by food...

Please **Review** , it motivates me to keep going!

See You Soon!

RedRosePetal


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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 **Chapter 5**

Shouts of many angry men bounced around the circular room. The men in this room were all dressed in similar white clothing and all seemed to be losing their hair. Some of the men were standing, shaking their hands or fists. In the centre of the room dressed in the same white clothing as all of the others, was the Emperor. He eyed the senators as they vocalised their anger, he had known that they would not be happy but then the Senate was nothing these days, they were just angry, old man that shouted for no sound reason.

"Kidnapping the Prince is an act of war!" A man shouted.

"The Egyptians are hardly a threat." The Emperor replied, in a bored voice, "We want their land and this is a way to force them to submit."

"But the Egyptians are in a position to make allies!" Another man shouted, "They are well liked in the East, especially with the Partians."

The Emperor rolled his eyes, these idiots hadn't thought through this as he had.

"We can use the boy as a bargaining chip. Should the Egyptians even get talking to other factions then we kill the boy. They will want to rescue their Prince so will do anything to make sure we do not kill him."

There were mummers from members of the Senate as this was a very good point. With the Senators saying no more the Emperor took his opportunity to continue telling the Senate what they would do.

"We will show the boy our might, out power and what happens to our enemies. Then, he will tell his people to submit to us." The Emperor stood; he looked around daring someone to speak against him.

No one said a word, for a group of men who loved to voice their opinions they stayed unnaturally quiet. They all seemed to scared to speak, weary of the consequence should what they say not please the emperor. The Emperor stood, gave the senate one last smug but leaving the room. As he walked down the corridor, he could not help but feel rather proud of himself. Although at first he had not like the idea of stealing the Prince of Egypt it was turning out to be rather fortunate. The Egyptians would submit that he was sure of.

* * *

Once he had been known as the Great Pharaoh, but now he was known as the Pharaoh of was consumed by grief. He was slumped in his throne; his cheeks were glistening from tears which continued to fall. The people around the King stood in silence; all were sharing some of the grief of their King. The Prince was loved by all people and his absence was a crushing blow for them. But they were trying to not let their grief consume them as they were desperately trying to find a way to get the Prince back.

"My King, we must send the troops! Show them what happens when you cross us." Aknadin cried.

There was no response from the Pharaoh; he just stared at his lap.

"There would be no point in that." Shimon said, eventually, "We have nothing to stand up to them."

"Well, we must do something!" Aknadin snapped.

If he was honest Aknadin didn't care about the fate of the Prince, he was the kind of person who enjoys watching other people suffer. So, in his mind the Romans had made them suffer so it was time to do the same to them. But the people in this room, even his brother, seemed to only care about one person. The Prince was only a boy; there were more important people to worry about rather than just some boy. Aknadin glared at his elder brother, he was just mopping and not doing anything! If he were a real Pharaoh he would not be concerned with the loss of a boy. But alas, his brother was the Pharaoh albeit not a very good one.

"We will do something!" Shimon said, determination in his voice, "We shall not give in, we shall get our Prince back."

Shimon looked at the Pharaoh, hoping that his words may have provoked some sort of reaction from him. But it did not, if anything the King looked even gloomier. Feeling the weights of the people around him staring at him, Aknamkanon rose to his feet and left the room without making eye contact with anybody. As he walked down the many corridors of the palace, more tears fell from his eyes. How had he let this happen, his only son could be dead for all he knew. He was struggling to come to terms with it; he knew that there was no way in which they could take on the Romans. The Romans were known to be formidable fighters; anyone to take them on had always failed. But he could not just let his son go, he was _his_ son. There had to be something that they could do. He found himself outside of his son's room. Opening the door, he found that his son's room was exactly the way he had left it. It was as though his son had simply left the room and was coming back. The bed was made but it was crumpled in place where his son had been lying. Parchment was on the bed as well, indicating that his son would lie on the bed to read. On the desk was a piece of parchment which was half written on. Aknamkanon could not stop his tears flowing as he moved out on to the balcony. The view that his son had from the balcony was impressive. Not only could you see the whole city but in the distance you could just about see the sea. More tears fell as he remembered watching the boat sail away with his son a captive on it. Unseen by anyone Aknamkanon slumped into a heap on the floor and wept.

* * *

Aknadin was pacing, he had tried to find his elder brother to convince him to send the armies but he had had no luck. Instead he had found a balcony and began to pace. There had to be some way to do something. He had heard from some of his associates of a book, a book full of spells. The spells were supposed to be very powerful. Naturally, he had sent his associates to find it. If they could then they were sure to be able to do something about those Romans. It was at that point in which he felt the gaze of somebody upon him. A hooded individual was standing in the archway, waiting to be called upon. Aknadin approached him, eagerness in his eyes.

"You found it?"

"Yes." The Hooded man replied, pulling out from under his clock an old book with a golden eye on it.

Aknadin snatched the book away, before rifling through the pages. He was searching for anything powerful. It was even he was halfway through the book that he found something, and it was sure to work. _This_ was what they had been looking for. Without saying a word to his associate Aknadin hurried off the balcony. He resumed his search for his elder brother, this time he would not give up. He eventually found the Pharaoh seated in the Prince's room. The Pharaoh was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. He was just staring at the room.

"Brother, I have found a book. A book which will help us defeat the Romans." Aknadin said.

"What about my son?" Aknamkanon replied, glaring at his brother.

"I'm sorry?"

"What about my son!" Aknamkanon had got to his feet, his face showed a look of rage, "All this time you have never mentioned my son; you want to destroy the Romans but what about my son! You have never said that you wanted to get my son back."

"Well, by doing one we help the other so that's irrelevant."

"You have a son! What would you do in my place!" Aknamkanon yelled, pointing a finger at Aknadin.

Aknadin ignored his brother's yell, "A found a book and-"

"How is a damned book going to help!" Aknamkanon had started pacing.

"It contains spells, one of which I think will help us defeat them."

"And save my son?"

"It will defeat the Romans."

Aknamkanon strolled out of the room without a word to his brother; he knew that his brother did not care about much but the fact that he was not bothered by the fate of his nephew disgusted him. Back in the Prince's room Aknadin was staring at the book once more. Well, he hadn't got his brother's permission to go ahead but at the same time the Pharaoh hadn't said not to. Smirking, Akandin left the room. There was work to be done.

* * *

The sunlight barely lit the stone room, so the room remained rather dark and unpleasant. There was a boy lying on the floor, he stirred slightly as the sunlight disturbed his sleep. The boy's face had dried blood around his nose and from the corner of his lip. His once splendid tunic had been dirtied. On the back the tunic was ripped and blood clung to the fabric from wounds which had been inflicted on the boy's back. Atem moved as he woke, rolling on to his back slightly. A hiss of pain escaped from his lips as he rolled and disturbed the injuries on his back. Getting to his feet, Atem moved to the barred window. He looked out to the bustling streets of Rome. He watched the people potter around and he could not help but wonder, how in the world would he get out of here?

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Thanks for Reviewing: **patem, Atem no koibito**

Sorry for the delay! I'm working through the week so it's been hard to write!

 **Please review guys! It keeps me going!**

I shall see you all soon!

~RedRosePetal


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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 **Chapter 6**

The wagon hit yet another rock; the wagon lurched and caused the person locked inside the cage hiss in pain. The Prince closed his eyes as the pain receded. He had been locked in this cage for days now; he'd been pulled from his cell a few days ago and forced into the small cage. From there he had been marched out of Rome. He was marching with the Roman General, Potitus Olcinus Cinna, and his armies. Some of the legionaries were marching behind the wagon and the others were in front of the wagon. The men following the wagon took to staring at the Prince; it was rather unnerving for Atem as he was getting sick of being stared at. Over the past three months he had been paraded around the city like an animal on the days were he hadn't been being beaten by the soldiers. He'd been forced to march around the entire city, with his bare feet until his feet bled. As he marched round the people had jeered at him, some had even thrown things at him. The cuts and bruises he received from that were not as bad as the beating. Those beatings sometimes involved a whip, so his back was now covered in long cuts and blood stained the back of his ripped tunic. Every time the wagon lurched one of the bars of the cage knocked into his cut back, sometimes reopening some of the wounds on his back. When the next lurch came Atem felt the skin break and blood roll down his back. As he opened his eyes he saw the closest legionaries sniggering at him. He took no notice of them; he was used to the Romans laughing at his pain by now. He repositioned himself slightly and gazed out of the side of the cage. But there was not much to see just a sea of flat green land. The sun was beginning to set; the sky had streaks of orange across it. They had been on the road for days now; sometimes he would fall asleep and woke up to find that they were still marching. How the Romans coped with that he did not know, maybe this was hope they disciplined their soldiers. But still the soldiers were only human and surely would need to stop and rest and some point. It was as though they had been reading his mind as all of a sudden they stopped. Atem peered out of his cage trying to see why they had stopped. He could just about see a wall of wood, which didn't really help to identify where they were. There was another lurch of the wagon and it began to move. They moved past the wooden walls where a small group of Roman soldiers stood guarding the enterance. The marching soldiers began removing their kit, intent on getting some rest. All around him the soldiers were settling in, this was obviously where they were going to rest for a while. The wagon had been abandoned by the drivers, the horses had been moved somewhere else to rest. Atem looked around; he saw the General walking away without looking back. No one had thought about the Prince in the cage, no one cared.

As the hours past the temperature dropped. There was a distant fire and the sounds of men laughing, enjoying being in the warmth, but in the cage the Prince shivered uncontrollably. Being from the desert he was not used to these temperatures. He wanted to rub his arms to try and generate some warmth but his hands were bound in front of him so that was impossible. The cold made his wounds sting, it was rather uncomfortable and he would rather it stopped but he would not show that he was in pain. He would not give the Romans the satisfaction of that. He may be a prisoner but he would still not submit to his captors. For a few more minutes the only sounds were of the fire, the sounds of men laughing and the Prince's shivering. But that was soon interrupted by the sounds of horns and men crying out. It wasn't a cry of sadness it was a battle cry. Over the top of the walls came a hail storm of stones came flying, showering the Roman camp. Around the cage the Romans were rushing around. Some units of soldiers had formed up and were advancing towards the incoming threat. Others were rushing trying to find their units whilst pulling on their armour. More stones came flying over the walls, somehow one managed to slip past the bars on the cage. It struck the Prince in the head; he blacked out and knew no more.

Potitus came hurrying out of his quarters pulling his helmet on. It was lucky that he had been still in his armour when he got word of the attack. A nearby commander rushed over with a horse for the General. Potitus mounted and rushed to rally the men. The main fight was at the main entrance to their fort. The Roman Legions had rushed the entrance meaning that their attackers were struggling to push through. Potitus sat astride his horse at a relatively safe distance that the enemy could not shoot things at him but at the same time he was close enough to his men to encourage them. Another commander came running over to him.

"General! The enemy seem to all be pushing this entrance. All the men are focused on this entrance."

"What?" Potitus spat, "Are you telling me, Centurion, that our flanks are exposed!"

The Centurion looked uneasy, he opened his mouth to respond but then there was a loud cry of somewhere on their right. Potitus was fuming.

"Get men to our flanks this instance and secure them."

Without another word the Centurion hurried away. Potitus glared after the Centurion, one mistake now could mean they abandon the fort. His men were holding which was good but if their flanks were not secure the enemy could overwhelm them. More men on horseback had joined him at this point. Potitus reared his horse with a shout of;

"Victory!"

There was an answering battle cry from his men and Potitus led his men into battle.

* * *

The battle didn't take long, in fact it turned around very quickly and the Romans took minimal damage. The opposing force to the Romans, the Gauls, had pushed one of their flanks but they had been defeated pretty quickly. The Gauls had caused some damage when they were momentarily unopposed. They had burnt some of the tents and pushed over a cage where the Prince had been. The Prince had apparently been unconscious at the time so the Gauls hadn't touched him, thinking that a mere Roman prisoner was already dead. But the encounter had left the Prince was a cut on the side of his head from where the rock had struck him and another from the contact with the metal bar of the cage when it had fallen. Potitus was planning a counter strike against the Gauls and he marched his men out of the fort the following morning. Seeing as they had recently taken a main settlement from the Gauls Potitus was not surprised by their attack. But he needed to draw out the main army from the Gauls as the Emperor was traveling from Rome intent on seeing the new settlement for himself. So it was essential that he engaged and destroyed the main Gaul resistance or it would not be safe for the Emperor. The Gauls took the bait and not a day after the attack on the fort a scout informed Potitus that large Gaul army was heading their way. His plan had worked.

Potitus was mounted on his horse, waiting. In front of him his legion were formed up and eager for battle. They knew that the Gaul army was not far away so it was a waiting game at the moment. He was sure that this battle would be another easy win for them; the Gauls were not really a threat. But if they were then he could call on another legion which was waiting in reserve. With that legion was a certain Prince of Egypt. Potitus wanted the Prince to see the power that was Rome. He wanted the Prince to admit to himself and his people that the might of Rome was not to be questioned. In the distance there was a sudden war cry. Potitus smirked slightly.

"Theirs's is not a subtle approach." He said.

"Sound very much like a herd of elephants, sir." A horseman replied.

"Elephants that fight like flies, easily squashed." Another added.

There was laughter from the men around him, Potitus had shared a smile.

"Right men." He said, calling for quiet, "Let's give it to them."

* * *

Atem was in his cage, gazing around at the men around him. This legion seemed to be on edge, all of them had their weapons in hand and seemed to be waiting for something to happen. As far as he understood, the Romans were engaging their enemy and this legion was merely waiting for it to end. The Prince did not know much about what happened, he'd woken many hours after the battle to find that his cage had been knocked over and Potitus was standing over him. No one had explained to him what happened, why would they? He was a mere prisoner. As soon as another wagon became available he was dumped into a new cage and placed upon said wagon and they had begun to march again. Atem's eyes locked with a nearby soldier, the same soldier who had cut his skin open when he'd first arrived. He was staring at him when such intensity. Atem sighed, what was he planning this time. He was about to say something to the solider when there were the sounds of approaching horses. The Prince looked around to see Potitus racing over, he was slightly blooded but Atem suspected that none of it was his own. The waiting soldiers looked at their General, they were not sure whether they were going to be called into action or whether the battle was won.

"VICTORY!" Potitus cried, punching the air with his fist.

The legion cheered and pumped the air with their fists. Potitus dismounted and approached the Prince, kneeling in front of the cage.

"Well Little Rat, you will witness the outcome of this battle."

Potitus motioned for the Prince to be removed from the cage. Two soldiers pulled the Prince roughly from the cage. Potitus had moved back to his horse and mounted it. Atem's legs were stiff having been in a bent position for days, so as he was pulled over to the horse his legs roared in protested. A rope was attached to his bound hands which were then attached to the side of Potitus' saddle. The rope pulled painfully on Atem's hands as Potitus set off. The cheers of the men followed them as they made their way towards the battlefield. It was difficult to keep up with the horse as a horse moved quicker than a human. He stumbled every so often and the ropes pulled painfully on his wrists. In the distant there was black smoke rising into the early afternoon sun. His attention was so focused on the smoke which meant that he failed to watch where he was walking. His foot caught on something and he fell over. Time seemed to slow as he opened his eyes and saw what he had fallen on. Eyes were staring back at him, eyes which were open and unseeing. Atem just stared at the fallen enemy soldier. Shock entered his system, his bound hands were shaking. There was a sharp tug on his wrists as the horse dragged him on. Atem was still in shock so he didn't attempt to try and stand, which would have been impossible anyway. He felt sharp things cut into him as he was dragged over the battleground, he felt his skin break and bleed but the shock what had just happened was still affecting him. He had just managed to regain control of himself when the horse stopped and Potitus dismounted. Another Roman dragged Atem to his feet while Potitus untied the rope securing him to the horse. Atem looked around, he was still shaking slightly. Bodies littered the ground, disguaded weapons lay everywhere. It was a frightening sight to behold.

"Look Little Rat, this is the might of Rome." Potitus said a smug tone in his voice.

Atem made no answer, just continued to around.

"This is what will happen to your people if they do not submit to us. We will crush them like the bugs they are and you… you will join them."

Atem looked at Potitus, he gave no impression that those words had affected him, but they had.

"Well Done General." A voice behind him said.

Turning Potitus saw the Emperor approaching him.

"Thank You Emperor, I was unaware you would get here so soon."

"I heard about this battle and hurried, wanting to see _this_ for myself." He gestured to the fallen bodies on the ground.

He then walked around the General to where a commander was waiting with a couple of legionaries. Potitus followed the Emperor pulling the Prince behind him. The Prince's eyes fell on three people on their knees by the legionaries. All three showed signs of being in the battle and were bound; they all wore scared expressions on their faces. One of them looked directly at Atem.

"General, what are you going to do with these captives?"

"I am considering slavery but I feel they may be dangerous."

"I agree, as well we must show people are might."

The Emperor looked at the Prince, a smirk on his face. There was a certain expression on his face but Atem, still in a state of shock, did not notice it. Potitus motioned to his commander, who pulled out his sword. The Prince looked away; he did not want to watch what was going to happen. Potitus and the Emperor, however, did not look away. There was the sound of cries coming from the three men but then silence. The Prince closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to remain in control. Around him men were cheering, celebrating another victory.

"This." The Emperor proclaimed, "Is the might of Rome! Furture enemies take note! This is what happens when you cross us."

The Emperor made eye contact with Atem again. The Prince knew what that meant, he was being warned that if his people tried to rescue him then the Romans would wipe them off the face of the Earth. It was all over for him, he would not allow his people to be wiped out because of him. He was to be a prisoner of the Romans forever, it was all over.

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Thanks for Reviewing: **Viofan238, Luckycat, xXAmethystCrimsonXx, Atem no koibito, dman-san**

I would like to thank all of my reviewers for your amazing reviews, your kind words really inspired me to keep going so I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

A bit of Atem action there, don't panic he's not broken yet! Just a little shocked!

I shall be back as soon as I can with more!

See Ya Soooon!

~RedRosePetal


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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 **Chapter 7**

"My King, Marcus Matius Bodenius is here."

Aknamkanon raised his head slightly, he saw the diplomat entering the room. Marcus Matius Bodenius was wearing the same thing as the last time he'd come. There was a certain air of smugness in his expression as he bowed before the King.

"My son. Where is he?" Aknamkanon snapped.

"He's not here, Pharaoh. He's in Rome." Marcus smirked, "He's a stubborn boy, makes us wonder where he got that from."

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Aknamkanon stood, his voice boomed. The walls seemed to shake at the Pharaoh's shout, some of the people standing around the room shrunk back out of fear.

"How dare you talk about my son! How dare you show your face her without my son!"

"You brought this on yourself, Pharaoh. I told you there would be consequences."

"You will return my son to me."

Marcus just smirked, "Careful Pharaoh, I have something that belongs to your son. But I might not give it to you."

Aknamkanon took a step forward, fury in his face. Marcus never broke eye contact with the King as he pulled something from his bag. The object was wrapped in a dark coloured cloth. The Roman made no movement to bring the object to the Pharaoh; instead he just threw it down at the King's feet. A nearby guard picked the object up before handing it to the King, who still hadn't broke eye contact with the Roman. The wrapped object was an odd shape and had an odd weight to it. His heart dropped as his unwrapped the object; it was a crown… his son's crown. But, the crown was covered in dried blood. Aknamkanon stared at the crown before he raised his eyes to the Roman, his blood boiling.

"What have you done to him!" He yelled, his temper getting the better of him.

"Oh don't worry, Pharaoh, he is alive. Well, he was still alive when I left Rome."

"What gives you the right to torture my son! He is innocent in this!" Aknamkanon tried to rein in his temper but it wasn't really working. "You have no right to terrorise people who have done nothing to insult you. My people were peaceful towards your Empire, we did nothing to insult you."

"You did not comply with what we wanted." Marcus interjected, his eyes narrowing.

"You cannot force people to comply by stealing children. That will just make people view you as an enemy and throw you into wars that you cannot win."

"We are Rome. We can with stand everything. As for stealing children, your son isn't innocent."

These words were the final blow for the Pharaoh, his temper was uncontrollably. Around him Egyptians scattered, pressing themselves against the wall. Marcus, however, did not move. He had seen other Kings lose control to their temper but he had not admit this was the worst he'd seen.

"GET OUT!" The Pharaoh screamed, "I WILL NOT RECEIVE YOUR PEOPLE UNLESS MY SON IS RETURNED TO ME."

Marcus backed out of the room, but before he exited he had one last thing to say.

"It was a mistake to insult my people. You and your people will pay for this. As for your son, you will not see him alive again."

With those words, he left. The Pharaoh's rage lasted for hours after the Roman's departure. Eventually, he calmed down but that was only when he had entered his son's room and slumped down on the floor. The bloodied crown was still in his hand. His anger had turned to tears, which fell rapidly down his face. It had been a bad idea to lose his temper, it had killed his son. His son would be dead because of his inability to control his rage. His temper was his worst trait, a trait which had had loathed and made sure his son never inherited. He shook as he got to his feet and moved over to the balcony in his son's room. Tears ran thick and fast, he could not get Atem's face out of his head. The door behind him opened without so much as a knock. Someone had entered the room and was approaching him.

"Have you calmed down brother?" Aknadin asked, drawing level with him. "You anger was unnecessary."

"You're little care for my son disgusts me."

"Don't annoy me brother, I have found the means of destroying the Romans. We'll be defeat them and liberate the people they enslaved."

Aknamkanon was going to ask about his son but the answer would be the same as it had been previously. He listened as his brother explained the idea, but it seemed as though it was his brother was telling him what he was going to do rather than asking him.

"In short, Brother. These magic items will help us destroy them."

"Will creating them cause any harm to my people?"

"Of course, not." Aknadin lied, he had not told his brother about the sacrifice he was to make nor was he about to, "Why would making seven millennium items mean harming innocents?"

"Then do it, we must get my son back."

Akandin let without a word, a smirk on his face. Alone again in the room, Aknamkanon walked over to the bed and sat down, the crown still in hand. If these so called Millennium Items didn't get his son back then that was it. But the problem now was, even if these items would be the answer, it was too late for his son. His carelessness over his temper had killed his only child. He wanted to believe that Aknadin would be quick in making these items, knowing that they could save the Prince. But his brother did not seem to care about his son. This was something that he couldn't get his head around, Aknadin had a son of his own so one would think that he would feel something. His eyes found the crown again, tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Mighty Gods, Please hear me. I beg you, keep my son safe. Please allow him to come home safely, I beg you. Keep him safe."

* * *

The hour was late. Darkness covered the land, the temperature dropping. The occupants of the little village were all preparing to turn in for the night. In a little house, in the little village a family prepared for bed. A woman with long ashen hair held a young girl, whose hair was ashen coloured as well, in her arms. The girl was falling asleep in her mother's arms whilst the mother sung a lullaby to her. The mother gently carried her daughter into the small bedroom, still singing to her. Watching from a corner was a boy, who was only in his teens. Like his mother and sister he had ashen hair. His hair was rather long for a boy but that did not faze him or anyone in the village. The boy watched his mother careful placing his sister into her bed, a small smile on his face. He could remember when his mother would sing him to sleep. A hand on his shoulder made him look round. The boy's father was tall and unlike his wife and children his hair was dark.

"I am off son." The father said, a small smile on his face, "Take care of your mother and sister whilst am I gone."

"I will father." The boy replied.

The father squeezed his son's shoulder before leaving the house, the door closing with a click behind him. The man walked away from the house, making his way towards the edge of the village. It was his job to patrol the boarder of the village at night, to protect the occupants from harm. The village was known to be full of thieves and criminals. Though the occupants would do no harm to each other, the same could not be said for the other villages in the vicinity. So it was his job to stop any persons from another village getting into theirs. The Father was approaching the other men; he could just see their outlines in the distance. One man spotted him and called out in greeting;

"Evening Bakaa!"

The Father, Bakaa, raised his hand in response drawing level with the other men. There were six or seven men stationed on this side of the town. All of them held spears, but the spears were used more for leaning on rather than protecting the town. The men talked for a long time before one of them addressed Bakaa.

"So how are your children Bakaa?"

"They are very well thank you, Anai."

"Remind me." Anai said, "How old are your children?"

"Eboni is five and Bakura is fifteen."

"Ah yes." Another man interjected, "I saw Bakura only this morning a very handsome lad indeed."

"How did he get that scar under his left eye, Bakaa?" Anai asked.

"Bakura is a very active child, especially when he was younger. He fell out of a tree and scratched his face on the tree bark. He was brave though, he did not make a sound to indicate pain." Bakaa replied.

"That is a sign!" The other man proclaimed, "Bakura will be a great man when he comes of age. A brave man does not show his pain."

"I believe so." Bakaa agreed, he smiled as he thought of his dear children.

Only a matter of minutes away from the small quiet village, the landscape was anything but quiet. The sand was being thrown high into the air and perhaps fifty horses galloped across the dessert. At the head, leading the horses was Aknadin. He was itching to get started on making these items. He had not told his brother about the sacrificing of evil souls. His brother would have tried to stop him, but these souls were evil so it would make no different if they were sacrificed. Aknamkanon did not have the guts to do what he was about to so he had disclosed the true details to his older brother. A smirk appeared on his face, the village was coming into view. He slowed his horse and around him the other's did the same. Aknadin turned to face his men.

"We are approaching the village my friends, it is nearly time. All of you must make an oath now to never speak of this to anyone ever, not even your families."

The men around all nodded simultaneously. These men were unaware that Aknadin had put a spell on them, preventing them from taking any orders from anyone other than Aknadin. Aknadin smirked and galloped off with the men close behind him. As the horse sped up he could just about see men standing on the outside of the village, they were obviously the people who would protect the village incase of attack, but there was no way that they would be able to stand up to them. The only thing that gave the village protectors any notice that something was approaching was the sound of horses' hooves. But by the time they had realised it was too late, the horses were upon them. The protectors of the village were easily over powered. Aknadin and his men pulled villagers from their houses forcing them to an underground chamber which lay behind the village. Women and children screamed , men tried to force their families away, trying to escape. It was no use, the villages were forced underground. There the villagers were ushered into a room in the underground chamber. To complete making the Millennium items a ritual would take place.

* * *

Bakura was staring out the window, lost in thought. Out of the window he could see the distance dessert, where his father would be patrolling. His mother and sister were long asleep, but he wasn't willing to turn in at the moment. He had this feeling that something sinister was about to happen. So he kept his eyes fixed on the window, waiting. But of course nothing did happen; this village was safe he knew that. He knew that his neighbours and friends were all thieves so nobody would bother them. Bakura yawned and turned away from the window, he was only half way across the room towards his bedroom when he heard horses. At first he dismissed it but when more came Bakura moved back to the window. At least fifty horses were speeding into the village. Panic filled him, Bakura ran into his mother's room. He shook her awake.

"Mother! Mother!" Bakura cried, "Mother! Wake up, the village is under attack."

"What? Where's Eboni?" His mother said, slightly sleepily but she quickly got to her feet.

"I will go and get Father." Bakura said, already hurrying to the door, "You get Eboni and hide in here and we will come for you."

Bakura sprinted out of the house, being careful not to be spotted by any of the soldiers. Around him the soldiers were pulling people out of their homes and forcing them somewhere. He ran flat out searching for his father but he was nowhere to be seen. He was sure that his father would have been there but he was not. Even more panic filled him, where was his father? He ran to every patrol point in the village but he could not see his father. Perhaps his father had already gone back to the house to get them so Bakura ran back to his home. But, the house was empty. No one was there, not his father, mother or sister. Bakura refused to cry, he would find his family. In the distance he could hear screams. Following the sound he came to a staircase which led underground. Carefully he moved down the stairs, he saw soldiers forcing the villages into a room. His eyes widened, he recognised the soldiers. They were palace soldiers, so the Pharaoh had sent them? What did the Pharaoh want? All the villagers were led into the room and the door slammed shut behind them. Bakura stood and stared at the door. He could hear agonising screams coming from inside the room. He could have sworn he heard the distant screaming of a little girl…. His little sister. The screams filled the filled the chamber but then there was a sudden silence. Tears broke and slipped down his face. The Pharaoh had murdered his family. He would get his revenge; he would get revenge on the murdering King.

* * *

The melted gold had been moulded into seven different objects. Aknadin stared at the items with a greedy expression on his face. He reached out to grab the items but there was a sudden roar. Something large a black burst from the stone where the seven items rested. It rushed around the room, there were screaming from the soldiers as they were attacked by some unknown being. The dark shaped loamed over Aknadin.

"You will not touch these items." The thing boomed, "You will leave them."

"Never!" Aknadin cried.

He lunged at the stone, grabbing the eye shaped item. He wasn't sure it would work but he would not lose these items to this creature. He pushed the eye into his left eye. The pain was unimaginable but the Millennium Eye settled into its new socket. The creature had tried to grab him but as soon as the Millennium Eye had settled it seemed to think against it.

"You will leave here." The creature boomed.

Aknadin ran towards the other items and grabbed hold of them. When he grabbed the Millennium Ring the creature vanished. Aknadin looked round, expecting it to reappear but it did not. The men around him were no use to him now; the creature had killed them all. It was probably better that way only he carried the secret. Placing the Millennium Items in the bag Aknadin left the chamber; with these items they would now be unstoppable.

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There we have it! Chapter 7 complete!

Sorry it took so long I am back at Uni and as it's the last year I have a lot to do.

I didn't get any reviews last chapter which really upset me, your reviews really do mean the world for me. They inspire me to carry on so when I did not get any last time it made me think that no one was enjoying this. So **please please** **review!**

I hope to see you soon!

~RedRosePetal


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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 **Chapter 8**

There was an enormous roar of cheering and jeering. The cheers echoed around the colosseum, which encouraged the two men in the middle of the arena. It spurred them on, kept them fighting. The two Gladiators moved round the arena locked in close combat with each other. At the same time they had to be aware of various wooden poles which were placed around. These poles had spikes attached to them making them a dangerous hazard. The crowd would cheer when one of the men got too close to one of the poles. The colosseum was always a place where Romans would come to have a good time, for some reason this type of entertainment was what the Romans enjoyed. The Prince could see nothing entertaining about it, watching people fight to the death was not his idea of a good time. But he would soon have first-hand experience as to what being in the Colosseum was like. He was sat on the floor by the Iron Gate; this was where the Gladiators would enter from, watching what was going on. If he was honest with himself, the prospect of being focused into the arena was terrifying. But he would not allow his fear to show, he knew that it was what the Romans wanted. They wanted him to show fear, they wanted him to break. But however much the things they did to him scared him, he could not and would not let them see him afraid. If he was honest, Atem wasn't sure that he would come out of this alive; his body had been beaten so badly that every movement hurt. Some of the cuts he had left a scar. Others were healing. Others were fresh, the blood still oozing out of them. There was a resounding cheer and one of the men fell lifeless to the ground. The victorious Gladiator held his sword aloft, punching the air in triumph. Before Atem knew what was happening, a solider had grabbed him by the upper arm and thrown him into the arena. There was an enormous roar from the crowd as they saw the new challenger. The Gladiator turned round; he was a tall, muscular man. Whilst his chest was bare, he wore red cloth around his wrist and had a helmet on his head. He towered over the small Prince even though they were at least a metre apart.

"Look at you." The Gladiator sneered, "You think that you can take me down?"

The Gladiator advanced towards him, his sword in hand. Atem pushed himself to his feet and started to back away from the other man. He was not going to let that man get anywhere near him which meant that he was constantly backing away.

"Come on pretty boy! Face me!"

The Prince continued to back away, eyes locked on the Gladiator. The Gladiator lunged at him, swinging is short through the air. The sword missed the Prince by mere inches.

"FACE ME!"

The crowd's cheering was goading the Gladiator on, he ran towards the Prince. The Prince had barely made it to his feet when the Gladiator was there swinging his sword. As he jumped out of the way, the sword caught him. He felt the blade slice across his upper arm. The crowd screamed their approval. There was a slight pause in the action as the Gladiator as celebrated his strike on the Prince. Atem put his hand to the wound; blood was seeping out of it. Looking at the Gladiator, who had his back to the Prince, he had to get away from this mad man. Backing away from the other man, he had to get out of here. He turned to run but his foot got caught and something and he fell. It happened in slow motion as he fell, he saw the wooden pole. He felt the metal spike piece his face on the bridge of his nose then drag across his nose and down across his left cheek. There was a puff of sand as he fell to the ground. The blood poured down his face, running into his mouth. Spitting a lot of blood out on to the sand, Atem rolled over. Fear swept through him as he saw the Gladiator towering over him. The Gladiator raised his sword, preparing to deliver the final blow. Atem thoughts turned to his father as he closed his eyes, just as the sword swung down.

The sound of metal clashing together echoed around the arena. That was followed by complete silence, Atem opened his eyes. A solider had blocked the Gladiator's sword with his own. There was a resounding 'boo' from the audience. Fear paralysed the Egyptian Prince to the ground; he did not know what was going on. He just stared at the Gladiator still feeling blood pour from the gash on his face and arm. The Gladiator stared back at the Prince, it was clear that he was not happy about being stopped. There was a pause where nobody moved. Then all of a sudden the Gladiator lost it, he shoved the soldier aside and dived at the Prince. The Prince scrambled away, but not fast enough, the Gladiator's sword caught him again. This time it sliced across the Prince side. The Gladiator raised his sword but the sword was grabbed from his hand by the soldier whilst two others tackled the Gladiator to the ground. The Prince was still on the ground, he seemed to be in so much pain it had paralysed him. With the Gladiator restrained, another solider ran forwards and dragged the Prince out of the arena, much to the audience's displeasure. They jeered as the soldiers dragged the semi-conscious Prince out of the arena. The only other sound was the gladiator fighting against the soldiers pinning him down. Metal gates slid open and the soldiers dropped the Prince on the ground. The two soldiers looked down at the captive.

"Is it dead?" One asked.

The other knelt down, examining the captive.

"No, it's not. It's alive."

"Well, that's good. The Emperor would have gone mad if that Gladiator had killed it."

Lying on the ground, the Prince was listening to the soldiers' words. It amazed him that these Romans had so little respect for other human beings. Gingerly, he put a hand the wound on his side. A hiss of pain escaped him as his hand came into contact with the wound. It was bleeding quite badly. He could also tell that the wounds on his face and arm were also still bleeding. He was no medical person but he knew that he was in a bad shape. The Romans would not help him, that meant his wounds would get infected and he knew what that meant. He had had a small hope that perhaps he might have seen his father again, for one last time. His eyelids were drooping; it was becoming difficult to keep them open. As his eyes closed for the last, his thoughts turned to his father. If only he had been able to see him, one more time.

* * *

The Emperor looked down into the arena, watching the two people below. One was holding a sword, taunting the other. The other was backing away, trying to put as much distance between him and other as he could. The Emperor chuckled.

"It always amusing watching Gladiators, isn't it my dear?"

Next to the Emperor was a woman with long brown hair. She smiled at the Emperor before saying;

"I do indeed, Husband. I can think of no better way to spend the day."

The Emperor smiled at his wife, before turning his attention back to the arena. The Gladiator swung his sword down and hit the Egyptian Prince. The Emperor chuckled again, his idea to put that brat in the arena was proving to be a good one. It was highly entertaining for the people of Rome to watch people fighting each other. The Emperor leant forwards as he saw the Egyptian Prince fall and the Gladiator charge in. He let out a sigh and turned to one of his soldiers;

"Get the Gladiator to stop, as much as it would be amusing to see the Gladiator harm the Prince. I need him alive, stop his attack and remove the Prince from the arena."

The soldier ran off and within a moment another soldier round the edge of the arena had rushed forwards and blocked his attacked. The Emperor got to his feet and moved down the stairs. At the bottom on the stairs he found the General Potitus Olcinus Cinna.

"Ah, General." The Emperor said, motioning for the General to follow him, "How are your plans? Are you ready to begin?"

"We are, Emperor. I have sent some ships ahead, so by the time I arrive we should be ready to begin."

"Perfect."

The Emperor came into a small room, where there were two soldiers standing over the body of the Prince. The Prince's eyes were shut and he was bleeding from wounds. Actually, he was losing a lot of blood.

"He's not dead?" The Emperor asked.

"No, Emperor." One of the soldiers replied, "Just unconscious."

"Good, the last thing we need is for this brat to die."

The Emperor turned to look at the General.

"You will take this brat with you." The Emperor said, pointing to the Prince, "But, send a healer to go with you. The brat must be alive when you arrive. He must witness the destruction of his people."

* * *

It was becoming very common for the Pharaoh to spend the whole day in the room of his lost son. The Prince had been gone for nearly a year now. That year had been extremely difficult for the Pharaoh; any parent would struggle if their child was taken from them. That meant that the Pharaoh was barely seen by anyone. He would spend day after day in the room, cradled the blood stained crown. It ended up that the priests would have to bring the Pharaoh food. Some days he would eat others he wouldn't. He was a broken man. His one last hope had failed. His brother, Aknadin, had been gone over a month trying to create things magical items. Aknadin had not returned, which meant that all hope was lost. Aknamkanon let a tear fall down; it fell on to the crown. All hope was lost.

Behind him the door burst open. Shimon came running into the room; he made a quick bow before addressing the Pharaoh.

"My King, the Romans have returned in large numbers. They have been spotted at the boarders. What do we do?"

The Pharaoh made no movement, if anything he let his head dropped.

"Let them come. We have nothing left."

"Please Pharaoh! We must protect the people and what about the Prince? The Prince won't want you to give up."

More tears rolled down Aknamkanon's face.

"We don't know what the Prince would have wanted. He's not here to ask."

The Pharaoh stood and moved out to the balcony. Shimon followed trying to persuade the King to do something about the Romans. At the same time the door to the room slammed as somebody else ran in. Both men turned to look at the newcomer. The man was holding a sack full of golden items. It was Aknadin. Aknamkanon moved towards his brother slightly as the latter held up a golden pyramid to him.

"Take the Millennium Puzzle brother and we will take down the Romans."

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Thanks for Reviewing: **Guest,** **Tyffyy** **, Guest,** **Atem no koibito x2**

Sorry it has taken me so long. Last year at Uni so I have so much work to do! Seriously, it is unreal!

Well, we have one more chapter and then this story is done! Are you excited?

Please **REVIEW** they really motivate me and will help me try to get the chapter out as quickly as I can.

I will see you soon!

~RedRosePetal


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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 **Chapter 9**

The sun was far too hot; it seemed to be even hotter than he remembered. He had travelled the world, and been to places that were hot but for some reason returning here the blazing sun seemed to be the worst he'd encountered. Potitus Olcinus Cinna wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked around. His Army were rushing around, making preparations. Some were building siege equipment, others sharpening weapons. Some were grouped together, laughing at something or someone that the General could not see. The General had an idea at what they were laughing at, but was debating whether or not he should step in. He stood and pondered this thought for a moment before the words that his Emperor had said came back to him. Strolling over to the group of soldiers he discovered that the source of their amusement was kicking their captive, making his injuries bleed.

"Alright men." Cinna called, "You've had you fun. Get back to work; we have a city to take."

The Legionnaires gave a quick salute before hurrying away. Lying on the sand was the Egyptian Prince; he had a hand to his newly bleeding nose. His other injuries were bleeding as well, especially the long gash to his face. It was gift from the Roman Gods that the Prince had survived the journey, the amount of blood he had lost from the Gladiator could have killed him but he survived. The result of that was that the Prince had been weakened by this so his resistance to his capturers was hardly a bother to them. They could overpower him easily, without breaking a sweat. Cinna pulled the Prince to his feet with such force that the Prince almost fell back down. Keeping a firm grip on the Prince's scarred wrists; Cinna pulled the Prince behind as he marched off. Locating some rope the General bound the Prince's wrists together, the last thing they needed was for the brat to run off.

With the Prince bound like a dog the General went on to inspect all of the preparations, whilst pulling the bound prince behind him. Every inch of the Prince's body screamed at having to walk but there was not a lot he could do about that. Trying to ignore his pain Atem looked around as he was forced to follow; he knew that they were in his people's lands. He also had an idea as to what was about to happen, but he was powerless to do anything. There was a sharp tug on the rope, but the Prince's body objected to being tugged forwards so the Prince fell forwards facedown into the sand. There was laughter as the Romans took pleasure in the Prince's pain. The Prince pushed himself onto his elbow, spitting bloody sand out of his mouth. The gashes to his face were still bleeding. He wasn't sure how much longer he could deal with the Romans. He had no idea how long he had been with his captors now but he was sure it had been a _very_ long time.

"Get up." The General snapped, "Get up Little Rat, we are ready begin."

Atem was forced to his feet by a nearby commander. A hooded cloak was forced on him, which he did not object to. For some reason it made him feel less vulnerable and after all he had been through this was something he would make the most of. His bound hands were tied to the General's horse as around him the many soldiers prepared to move out. There were literally thousands of them, all eager to get going. How were his people going to stand up to them? The Prince knew that his people had nothing to stop them. This couldn't be There was a sharp tug on his wrists, as he was forced to follow behind the General's horse. All that could be heard were the sounds of an army on the march. Atem stumbled along in the horse's wake; he knew it was over… all over.

* * *

Aknamkanon stood outside the city walls, waiting for the Romans to make their appearance. He was struggled to keep his anxiety hidden, he was not sure whether this was going to work. This golden pyramid was supposed to have the power to summon great beasts, according to his brother. Standing beside him were six other people, they weren't speaking. All of them were just waiting, waiting for the appearance of the Romans. Aknadin placed a hand on his brother's shoulder;

"Just wait brother. After this we will be the most feared nation."

"These items are only to be used to protect our people." Aknamkanon said, "It is also to get my son back."

Aknadin stared at his brother; he could not believe that his brother was no taken by the idea that their nation would be the most feared on the Earth. This was a good thing; nobody would mess with them again after this. Also, he was going crazy over his brother fixation on getting his son back. The Prince was most likely dead, if he wasn't and they recovered then that was just a bonus. He was about to speak to his brother but then he spotted something on the horizon. It was the Romans. They had finally arrived. Aknadin smirked, preparing himself. The Egyptians watched the Romans spread out into a long line. Even though the Romans were still far away from them but the Egyptians could hear their laughter. Obviously, they could see that there were only seven Egyptians against three whole Roman Legions. There were jeers from the Romans as they teased their enemy. Aknamkanon rolled his shoulders back; his eyes scanned the Roman lines as he hoped that he might spot his son. But as far as he could see his son was not there. What if his son was dead? What would he do? Aknamkanon took a breath, he could not think about that. His son was alive and this is would save him. The Romans were marching forwards, battle cries could be heard. The Pharaoh stepped forwards raising a hand in the air.

"Great Beasts, I call upon you. Aid us in this fight. Please protect the people of his land."

The Golden Eye on the Pyramid lit up, along with the other eyes on the other six items. The light got brighter; it blinded the Romans which slowed their march towards them. The Romans did not stop marching but the light was so unnatural that it did put them on edge slightly. All of a sudden enormous beasts burst into sky. Huge dragons filled the sky, along with a great many winged beasts. Their appearance made the Romans halt in their tracks; all eyes were locked on the beasts that were currently circling the sky. For a few minutes the beasts only circled the sky and with this lack of action caused the Roman General to rally his troops, calling for them to attack. That was when all hell broke loose. As the Romans rushed forwards, the beasts dived. They were heading straight towards the Romans. It was a truly terrifying sight, enough to break the famously unbreakable Roman morale. They broke, turned tail and ran. The beasts swooped down, absolutely wrecking the Romans. Some fell straight to the ground, whereas others were thrown high into the air. Potitus Olcinus Cinna, who was still astride his horse, stared up in horror. Around him were the cries of his men as they attempted to flee. It would be foolish to rally them, they would not rally. Cinna spurred his horse, fleeing the battlefield. The horse turned so quickly that the piece of rope attached to the side of the saddle broke sending the bound captive to the ground. For a long time the only thing that could be heard were the cries of the Romans. But all of a sudden an eerily silence fell. No sound what so ever.

Only one person moved. The Captured Prince raised himself to his elbows. His whole body hurt, his recent wounds bleeding once more. He could feel the blood oozing from the wound on his face. Looking around he could see many Roman soldiers but they were not moving. Atem struggled to his feet, continuing to look around. It appeared that he was the only person around, no Romans what so ever. Turning Atem saw his home, the city was in sight. This might be his only chance to get home as the Romans were likely to return. But first he needed to free his wrists; the rope was so tight that it was cutting off the circulation to his hands. As he stumbled in the direction of the city, he came across the sword of a fallen Roman soldier. The blade easily sliced through the ropes around his wrists. Atem massaged his scarred and freshly bruised wrists and continued to stumble towards the city. His energy was draining fast but he somehow managed to get to the gates. He put a hand to the gate, hoping that it would open. But the gates were locked shut. Atem let out a groan of frustration, he was so close. There had to be a way to get the gates open. But it seemed that the Gods had given their luck to the Prince as he heard voices on the other side.

"Did you hear that?"

"I did, I reckon it's a Roman solider. Don't open the gate."

Atem banged on the gate; "Open the gate. It's the Prince. Please open the gate."

The Guards behind the gate hesitated for a long while before deciding to take a chance. The gate opened slowly and two guards appeared. Shock was clear in their faces as they recognised their Prince.

"My Prince!" They cried, looking at the tired, injured state of their Prince.

Atem was ushered into the city, the gates slamming shut behind him.

"My Prince, you're alive!"

The Prince nodded, relief that he had made it taking hold.

"We must get you to a healer, my Prince, you're hurt." The Guard said, taking hold of one of the Prince's arms.

"No." Atem said, "Please. Take me to my father."

The Guards exchanged a look before complying with the Prince wishes. They led the Prince towards the palace. The hooded cloak that he was still wearing helped to shield him from onlookers. Atem was grateful for this as the last thing he wanted at the moment was to have everyone staring at him. He just wanted to get to his father. The Palace came into view, nothing about it had changed. He had been gone nearly a year but everything was as it had been before. Although the hole that the Romans had made had been repaired. At the gates Atem was handed over to the Palace Guards who were just as shocked to see their Prince.

The Prince and Guards hurried into the Throne Room and Atem got the first glimpse of his father. The Pharaoh was pacing, obviously not happy about something. Well, that was about to change.

"My Pharaoh!" The Guards called.

Aknamkanon looked round, he saw two guards accompanying a figure in a hooded cloak.

"I will not receive any Romans." He said, turning away.

But then a very familiar voice came to him;

"Father?"

Aknamkanon turned; the hooded figure was lowering his hood. Tears swelled as his son's face came into view. He was alive. He was here. No one moved for a moment. Father and Son just looked at one another. Aknamkanon took in every injury that his son had, it was clear to him that the Romans had tortured his dear son. But he was here! The Pharaoh could wait no longer; he rushed forwards and embraced his son. He felt his son returning the embrace which made him tighten the embrace. The tears were running freely down his face, his body trembling slightly. After nearly an entire year his son was back. He could feel his clothing dampening which told him that his son was also crying. For a long time the two did not move, but eventually Aknamkanon broke the hug. He looked in the face of his son, wiping away the blood mixed tears on his face. It was clear that the Prince was exhausted and in pain. Aknamkanon traced the gash to his son's face with his eyes, it was bleeding slightly.

"Oh, my son. What did they do to you?"

Atem shared a small smile, he didn't know what to say and honestly all he wanted to do was sleep. Apparently, his father had spotted this as a moment later he and his father were walking towards his bedroom. His room was exactly the same as when he left it. His bed still messy from where he had last left it. Atem crawled on to it, this was the first time he would have slept in a bed in a long time. His exhausted body caved in and he was asleep before his head had hit the pillow. The Pharaoh planted a kiss on his son's forehead. He left the room, intent on finding a healer. Instead he found Shimon outside.

"Fetch the healer."

* * *

Hours later Aknamkanon emerged from his son's room. The healers had cleaned and bandaged the Prince's wounds. He had been told that whilst the Prince's wounds were serious he was going to recover. He was relived; his son was alive and safe. Intent of having a sleep after an emotional day Aknamkanon moved away, but on his way to his own room he bumped into his brother.

"Are you happy brother? You have your son back." Aknadin asked.

It was clear that Aknadin did not mean that in a good way.

"You never cease to surprise me brother." Aknamkanon replied, "Of course I am happy to have my child back. You would be to."

"I would not be happy if I were you. Not after I tell you what _you_ allowed me to do."

Aknamkanon frowned, "What do you mean?"

"The Millennium Items. I had to sacrifice ninety nine souls to create the and _you_ allowed me to do this. Their blood is on your hands, brother."

Aknadin strolled away from his brother, a smirk on his face. The Pharaoh watched him go; he could not believe what he had just heard. The shock and guilt paralysed him to the spot. Ninety Nine people were killed to make the object around his neck. It could not be. How did he allow this to happen? How would he live with himself?

* * *

As the future Monarch's health improved, the reigning Monarch's deteriorated. He was bed bound by his illness. His most frequent visitor was his son, who would spend the whole day there only to be forced to leave at night. Atem leant against the wall, gazing at his father. He could not believe that after being away from his father for so long, that he might lose him. They had barely had any time together since he had come back. The wounds that the Romans had inflicted on him were healing nicely. Even the large gash on his face was healing nicely, but he could not rejoice in his returning strength as he was worried for his father. Atem sighed, dropped his head. But a nearby voice made him look up.

"Atem? Come here my boy."

It was his father calling. Atem walked over and sat on the bed. Aknamkanon looked at Atem;

"I am not long for his world, my boy. I am sorry we did not get much time since you returned. Know that I am proud of you. Remember to protect our people, but be kind and respect them. Remember that."

"Father, stop! You will get better."

Aknamkanon smiled sadly and motioned for his son to come closer. The Prince lay down next to his father, feeling the latter's arm around him lightly stroking his back. They said nothing more, both enjoying the other's company. After a while both slipped off to sleep.

The next thing that Atem knew was that he was being woken by Shimon. Shimon spoke in a calm, gentle tone. Atem knew what had happened. He looked at his father. His face was still and pale. His Father was dead; he was the new Pharaoh now. Tears slid down his face. The New Pharaoh refused to leave his Father's side for hours. Eventually he had to be forced to leave and placed in his own room. Atem lay on the bed, in his arms was the golden pyramid. Tears continued to fall. The past year had been hell; he had thought that it was all over. Apparently not. Life had one more thing to throw at him. The New Pharaoh continued to shed tears until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. At the beginning of the year he had been The Captured Prince, now he was ending it as the Pharaoh. The Romans had destroyed his life, he was all alone now. There was no one left in his family, he was the only member now. But he would keep his word to his father. He would be a kind ruler, he would respect and protect the people of the land. That was his duty now... as the New Pharaoh.

X

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Ok, I wasn't really sure how to stop so apologies for the sudden stop!

Apologies for the delay, a certain Assassin's Creed Syndicate came out and took all my attention. PLUS! The final year at University is really full on and needs my attention!

I hope you enjoyed the story!

Thanks to everyone for reading/reviewing/following/faviourting!

Final thoughts are very welcome! So **Please Review!**

I don't know if I will post another story. Life is getting in the way so I need to give it my attention! Don't worry I will still be active on here! Reading and Reviewing! So feel free to chat to me!

Thanks for sticking with me all this time guys! You guys are awesome!

Peace out!

~RedRosePetal


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